2/7/2013 9:38:04 AM

Times Union: NanoCollege deal is for kids

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Times Union

ALBANY — The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University of Albany plans to spend $5 million over the next five years to transform the Children's Museum of Science and Technology into a "world-renowned hub" for high-tech education.

As part of an agreement signed Wednesday, the museum, commonly known as CMOST, will become part of the NanoCollege, although it will remain at the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush.

The investment by the NanoCollege comes nearly 60 years after CMOST's humble beginnings in the basement in the Rensselaer County Historical Society as a creation of the Junior League of Troy.

Last year, CMOST attracted 81,000 visitors. But Paul Fahey, chairman of the museum's board, said the hope is that CMOST can be brought "to the next level" by affiliating with the NanoCollege.

"It really gives the museum another shot of adrenaline," Fahey said. "We think that the region deserves this kind of opportunity, and we're really delighted."

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